City doctors are to use a groundbreaking device which could prevent sight loss in children.

Clinicians in Southampton are among the first in the UK to trial a new device that allows them to perform vital eye and brain tests on young patients at their bedside.

Until now patients were asked to attend specialist laboratories for examinations aimed at determining damage caused by problems such as head trauma or side-effects of treatment.

However, this was not always possible for those who felt too unwell to leave their wards.

Now Retival, an innovative mobile device, has changed that.

Jay Self, a consultant paediatric ophthalmologist at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Using Retival, we can ensure those who require vision checks can be assessed quickly and easily, enabling us to provide treatment as soon as possible for those at risk of losing their sight.”

The new technology could also take the pressure off laboratories.

“We see cases where children have gone from having good vision to losing their sight completely over a matter of weeks and yet, because of the complexity of the current lab, our waiting list can be as long as seven months for this test,” Mr self said.

The device, which costs £8,000, was funded by the Lahna Appeal, a fund of Southampton Children’s Hospital Charity set up in memory of five-month-old Lahna Tula Beatty.

The Southampton baby died in 2009 from a viral condition which led to heart failure.

Lahna’s parents, Natasha and Lance, set up the appeal to fund equipment and services to benefit paediatric services in Southampton to create a legacy for their daughter.

Natasha said: “Jay and his team are doing some amazing work and we’re delighted to have been involved in the purchase of the Retival device, a quick and easy test that can detect potential damage to sight so that treatment can be given to children before it’s too late.”